SportsBusiness: Nigerian medalists at World Athletics U-20 to get cash awards for first time ever

On this edition of SportsBusinness, we take a look at the progress being made by the U-20 athletes representing Nigeria at the World Athletics U-20 championships in Nairobi, Kenya.

It has been a fine outing for Nigeria at the championships as the country currently sits third on the medals table after bagging three gold medals.

Aside the golds, Team Nigeria have also bagged two bronze medals, to stand among the flying nations out of the 200 participating countries at the ongoing championships.

And perhaps as a way to celebrate the medal haul and to spur the athletes to do more, the Ministry of Youth and Sports development on Saturday promised cash awards for every medal won.

This is the first time that athletes to the World Athletics U-20 Championships would ever be financially rewarded for their performances.

The Minister, Sunday Dare, had charged and promised the athletes before the Championships began that those who do the nation proud will be handsomely rewarded, a statement that has now seen the light of day.

Read Also: SportsBusiness: Brume, Oborodudu to pocket $7,500, $10,000 as Nigeria triples Olympic medals prize money

What does each medal worth?

The cash awards announced will see the Team Nigeria athletes receive $5000 for Gold, $3000 for Silver and $2000 for Bronze medals.

Already by the close of Day 4, Team Nigeria had recorded her best ever outing in history at the world Atlletics U-20 Championships.

This medal haul has moved Nigeria to third place on the medals table behind the hosts Kenya and surprise package Finland.

Team Nigeria’s Mixed 4×400m relay team started the gold rush before Imaobong Nse Uko (400m women) and Udodi Onwuzurike (200m men) won the finals of their events in dominant fashion.

Favour Ofili (200m women) and Chinacherem Nnamdi (Javelin) won Team Nigeria’s Bronze medals.

There are expectations of more podium finishes for Team Nigeria in the 4×100m(men and women) and 4×400m(women) relays on Sunday, the final day of the Championships.

Recall that medal winning athletes of Team Nigeria to the just-concluded Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan were also given cash awards, with the Federal Government tripling the amount the athletes got in previous Olympics.

Gold medal was pegged at $15,000 although no Nigerian athlete won gold at the Games; silver medalist, Blessing Oborodudu, was rewarded with $10,000 while the bronze medalist, Ese Brume, pocketed $7,000.

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